Famous Teammates Who Couldn't Stand Each Other Off The Field

Team work is essential while playing professional sports; it especially helps to have great camaraderie or friendships with teammates off the field, as well. Unfortunately, a lot of professional athletes let their egos get in the way — and tension ensues. In the particular case of former San Antonio Spurs teammates Tony Parker and Brent Barry ... we kinda get why this friendship dissipated. The two were seemingly fine, until Parker began "sexting" with Barry's wife Erin — all while he was still married to "Desperate Housewives" actor Eva Longoria. There were hundreds of salacious texts between Parker and the stay-at-home mom, which was said to be the final straw in Parker and Longoria's marriage. The two called it quits in 2010 after three years, and the Barrys' divorce followed shortly after (12 years married and two children for them).

The seemingly irresponsible behavior between Tony Parker and Erin Barry not only ruined both of their marriages but caused a major distraction for the rest of players on the Spurs. It was clear the gossip affected team dynamics and added a layer of awkwardness to the season, as well. While the team remained professional on the court, of course, the personal drama surrounding Parker and Barry was a significant talking point in the media and among NBA fans. Yikes. 

A source for Page Six claimed that they've all "moved on," and there was never any type of "physical relationship" between Parker and Erin. But we're Team Brent Barry and Eva Longoria for this one!

Kobe Bryant left a void in this world when he passed away unexpectedly in 2020; many athletes, public figures, family, and former teammates paid tribute to their beloved "Black Mamba." Shockingly, Smush Parker was one of those people. Bryant and Parker notoriously had a love/hate relationship, and Bryant was somewhat known for having spats with teammates. According to ESPN, Parker became slightly embarrassed when he tried casually speaking with Bryant off the court- he received a response he wasn't expecting. "One day in practice I tried to talk to Kobe outside of basketball about football. He looked at me dead serious and said 'You can't talk to me. You need more accolades under your belt before you come talk to me." Ouch. Parker added that Bryant, "wasn't easy to talk to, but was a good player," and goes onto say that it never bothered him when Bryant accused him of "not having any talent;" it actually fueled him to do better.

After Kobe Bryant passed away in the 2020 helicopter crash, Parker told TMZ that he was hoping that he and Kobe could have sat down and verbally had a dialogue. "There was a lot of underhanded shots that were fired from both directions and I just — it's unfortunate that I'm not gonna be able to get that opportunity now." It's very apparent that Parker truly regrets not resolving their beef; a faithful reminder that life is precious.

The feud between Terrell Owens and Donovan McNabb began when Terrell Owens, a wide receiver, joined the Philadelphia Eagles as a free agent. Owens was known for his skills on the field and charismatic personality, but had a reputation for being outspoken and controversial. After a 2005 Super Bowl loss and a tumultuous 2005/2006 season, Owens became passionate speaking to the media, and began to place blame on his teammate.

During an ESPN interview, Owens agreed with his interviewer, Michael Irwin, when he stated that Brett Favre of the Green Bay Packers would be a better quarterback than his teammate, Donovan McNabb. "That's a fair assessment, I would agree with that," Owens stated back to Irwin. McNabb reportedly took these comments to heart — even alleging that "it was [a] Black-on-Black crime" as TO would rather play with Favre, who is Caucasian. He fired back, stating, "And to say if we had Brett Favre, that could mean that if you had another quarterback of a different descent or ethnic background, we could be winning. That's something I thought about and said, 'Wow.'" 

McNabb went on to say that he thought Owens was divisive and had an attitude, putting a strain on the team. In 2014, TO claimed to have moved on from his feud with McNabb, per TMZ; however, a video surfaced in 2021 of Owens claiming that he wants to "knock him out." Play nice, boys!

Peyton Manning is known for being one of the top quarterbacks in NFL history, while Mike Vanderjagt once had a reputation of being a skilled kicker. The two had a strained relationship that played out publicly and in the media while they were teammates on the Indiana Colts. In January 2003, the New York Jets absolutely whipped the Colts, and Vanderjagt had some choice words for both Manning and their coach, Tony Dungy. He stated to The Score (via ESPN) that Dungy wasn't in his face enough: "We need somebody who is going to get in people's face and yell and scream. I've gone over there to the offense and said, 'Come on.'" Vanderjagt then infamously took a shot at Manning, criticizing him for his leadership skills, or lack thereof. "I'm like, 'Peyton, show some enthusiasm, we need to win this game.' I just don't see it from him.”

Manning wasn't impressed with Vanderjagt's remarks. "I'm out at my third Pro Bowl, I'm about to go in and throw a touchdown to Jerry Rice, we're honoring the Hall of Fame, and we're talking about our idiot kicker who got liquored up and ran his mouth off," Manning told an ABC reporter. He even added, "He has ruined kickers for life." Manning had the last laugh — Vanderjagt's career was about to take a nosedive. In 2005, while playing the Pittsburgh Steelers, he fumbled a game-winning field goal that made him a "standing-joke."

Scottie Pippen and Charles Barkley are considered two of the greatest basketball players in NBA history. Off the court, Pippen and Barkley are known for their outgoing personalities. The two athletes both successfully transitioned from a career in the NBA to sports broadcasting- so no shortage of smack talk! Pippen and Barkley first began their "feud" when they were teammates on the Houston Rockets during the 1998-1999 season. Barkley remarked that he was "disappointed" in Pippen who left the Rockets after one year and went to Portland. Pippen responded and flipped the blame on Barkley, claiming it was because of him that he wanted to leave. "I wouldn't give Charles Barkley an apology at gunpoint. He can never expect an apology from me. He owes me an apology for coming to play with his fat butt." 

Decades later, the two still seem to dislike each other as they both talk badly about the other any chance presented. In a 2021 interview with GQ magazine, Pippen took an opportunity to bash his one-time teammate. "I never apologized to him, but I'll tell you what: He only got arrested for throwing some little white guys out of a window. I ain't never seen him fight a Black man unless there were referees around. He plays his role like he's tough." Barkley responded on ESPN Chicago via the NY Post, that "he's not Billy Badass, but he's tougher than Scottie Pippen."

Not Scottie Pippen feuding again?! This time, it's with basketball legend, Michael Jordan. In basketball history, few duos have been as legendary as Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. This dynamic duo led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA championships in the 1990s, cementing their status as two of the greatest players ever. However, if you saw Michael Jordan's docu-series "The Last Dance," you know that Pippen wasn't too pleased with the outcome, and loudly criticized the way he was portrayed. Pippen felt that Jordan did not give he or his teammates enough credit. It's a shame; the two played so well and were very friendly for their ten seasons together on the Bulls. Now their friendship has boiled down to a docu-series. 

Pippen later released a book called "Unguarded," and began taking jabs at Jordan in the media. He stated on a podcast in 2023, "Does that make him the greatest player who ever played? I'll leave that for debating. Because I don't believe there is the 'greatest' player because our game is a team game and one player can't do it. I've seen Michael Jordan play before he came to the bulls. You guys saw him play. He's a horrible player." To make matters worse, Michael Jordan's son, Marcus, began dating Pippen's ex-wife, Larsa, in 2022. That same year, Sportscasting reported that Jordan apologized to Pippen for covering the game in question that he was so upset about in the docu-series.

Barry Bonds and Jeff Kent were once teammates on the San Francisco Giants. On the surface, they were heavily responsible for the team's success, but beneath their athletic abilities was a nasty feud that some would argue overshadowed the entire season that year. In 2002, it was well-documented that Bonds and Kent got in a literal shoving match on the field...during a live game. The Giants were playing the Padres, and Kent began to scream and show frustration at fellow teammate, David Bell. Bonds stuck up for Bell; and what started as a screaming match ended with Bonds' hands around Kent's neck against a wall. Can't make this up! Surprisingly, the Giants made it to the 2002 World Series that year, brawl and all.

In 2016, Kent did an interview with the SF Chronicle were he didn't exactly apologize for the scuffle. "Why do we have to be friends? Why is that such a big deal?" Kent asked. "We played well. We relied on each other on the field to win. That's all that matters: win." The infamous fight was named "Slugout in the Dugout" by the media, and is still talked about to this day. Bonds was later involved in other controversies off the field having to do with illegal steroid use.  Many have come to the conclusion that both players have large ego's and this is why it was tough for them to get along.

Both Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter were highly talented and very well-paid players on the New York Yankees. Many thought of them as a "dream team" for the Yankees as both men were not only fierce on the field, but very popular in pop culture and the media. Jeter was known for dating beautiful celebrities like Jessica Alba and Mariah Carey, while Rodriguez was married with children, much to the dismay of his female fans. The two appeared to play well together on the field and off. However, prior to all that, Rodriguez appeared to seriously shade his close friend and future teammate in a 2001 interview with Esquire. "He's reserved, quiet. Jeter's been blessed with great talent around him. So he's never had to lead. He doesn't have to, he can just go and play and have fun, and hit second. You never say, 'Don't let Derek beat you.' That's never your concern," Rodriguez told Esquire (via Sports Illustrated).

Jeter was not too pleased with these comments, and their "bromance" quickly faded, despite the two eventually becoming teammates when Rodriguez joined the Yankees in 2004. Decades later, Jeter still couldn't seem to shake what his longtime teammate said. When doing a documentary for ESPN, Jeter stated (via NY Post), "Those comments bothered me because, like I said, I'm very, very loyal . As a friend, I'm loyal. I just looked at it as, 'I wouldn't have done it.'" Reportedly, Rodriguez did feel some remorse for his comments; but it's safe to say their friendship was never the same.

The John Terry and Rio Ferdinand feud is one of the most longstanding, well-known feuds in the history of English football. Both men are said to have been two of the top soccer players for England and were also known to be very competitive towards one another, despite once being teammates. The feud was said to have escalated in 2011 when Terry was accused of making racist remarks about Anton Ferdinand, Rio's brother. The remarks are indeed so offensive, we don't even want to repeat them. Terry received a four-game ban for this, and a six-figure fine from the Football Association, and was even under police investigation for these comments.

In 2022, the feud was reignited after Ferdinand, during an interview with BT Sports (via Fox Sports), stated that John Terry was the "fifth best centre-back" in Premiere League history. Terry did not take to being placed fifth kindly and hit back on a now-deleted Instagram Story that appeared to be a collage of his stats. The caption read, "Opinions are great but stats don't lie." Ferdinand decided to clap on Twitter this time with, "The moment one has to start pushing their own records and stats it's really time to start addressing the fragile ego.Your lucky I even put you in the top 5 after the racism case with my brother so be thankful you made it." We have very little hope that these two will ever kiss and make up.

Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal were first teammates in 1996 when they both played for the Lakers. During their time as teammates, the literal larger-than-life duo led the team to three consecutive NBA championships in the year 2000, 2001, and 2002. However, amid their success on the court, tensions between the two basketball legends began brewing. In 1998, it was reported that O'Neal was allegedly jealous of Bryant's jerseys sales, and accused him of being a selfish player. A few years later, Bryant accused O'Neal of showing up to pre-season camp "out of shape." The two even had a scuffle while on the court.

In 2003, Bryant was reportedly upset at O'Neal for not reaching out to him when he publicly faced sexual assault allegations. Perhaps the climax of their feud was in 2008, when a video surfaced of O'Neal "free-styling" at his expense, which enraged Bryant. He spewed lyrics like " You know how I be. Last week Kobe couldn't do without me." He also accused Bryant of "ratting him out" to his wife, alluding that Bryant caused his divorce (Bryant publicly stated that O'Neal gave "hush money" to the various women he was having extra marital affairs with). O'Neal did apologize and chalked up his free-style diss to him being a "jokester."  The two were thankfully have said to reconcile before Bryant's sudden death in 2020, when he and his daughter were involved in a fatal helicopter crash.

Bill Romanowski took what should have been a regular Oakland Raider football practice in 2003, to a place of terrifying violence, chaos and injury. It's somewhat unclear how this said melee began, but reportedly, Romanowski's teammate Marcus Williams didn't properly block him on a running play; and thus he became visibly frustrated and enraged. The two came at each other and grabbed at each other's helmets '... when Williams' came flying off. Romanowski then proceeded with an upper cut to Williams' face, temporarily knocking him out and sending him down to the ground during the unexpected brawl. This left Williams with brain damage, double vision and a shattered eye socket, which lead to Williams taking Romanowski to court. 

Fellow Raiders teammate Ryan Prince testified at the trial claiming that when Williams' was out, Romanowski climbed on top of him and screamed, "Don't you ever f*****g hold me! Don't you ever f*****g touch me!" He also added that the upper cut sounded more like a crunch to the face, and Williams made an odd and concerning sound. It was widely known that Romanowski had used steroids in the past, which made him a very angry player. In the end, Romanowski was ordered to pay Williams $340,000 in damages to cover medical expenses and lost wages from the punch. Football can be a dangerous sport, but who knew the danger could be your teammate?

Jason Kidd and Jim Jackson found themselves in a love triangle in 1996 with R&B singer Toni Braxton when they were teammates on the Dallas Mavericks. It's even been stated that Braxton is responsible for breaking up the camaraderie that once existed between the two men, and the entire team. Rumor has it that Braxton made plans with Kidd, then bailed so she could hang out with Jackson instead. Kidd and Jackson's close fellow teammate, Jamal Mashburn (Mashburn, Kidd, and Jackson were affectionately known as "The Three J's"), recalled the drama, stating to KRLD-FM, "She definitely cost me relationships with Jimmy Jackson and Jason Kidd." When Braxton was doing a press tour and asked about her romance with the said NBA players, she said she doesn't "kiss and tell."

Attempting to set the record straight when asked by ESPN, Kidd denied the rumors. "Not true. It was never true. Never met the woman. It was never true. It just somehow took on legs of its own and she breathed life into it and I guess that didn't help [with the] kiss and tell, whatever she said.I don't even know if Jim Jackson went out with her." Jackson went on "The Herd with Colin Cowherd" in 2016, also denying the now decade old rumor. "I sit there and laugh about it." It looks like the public will never get the full truth behind this feud!